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Arizona ranks 41st among states for per capita tax burden
Publication: Phoenix Business Journal; Date: August 11, 2008
Arizona dropped a notch to rank 41st among states whose residents shoulder the highest tax burden, according to a report by the Tax Foundation.
The report computes the combined state and local tax burden for each state and the District of Columbia, taking into account taxes paid out of state.
The report shows Arizonans paid $3,244 per capita in 2008, down from $3,302 in 2007, when the state ranked 40th. That translates to 8.5 percent of per capita income in 2008 and 8.7 percent in 2007.
A decade ago, in 1998, Arizona also ranked 40th with per capita taxes of $2,190 representing 8.6 percent of income.
New Jersey taxpayers had the heaviest state and local tax burden in 2008 at 11.8 percent. Close behind were New Yorkers, paying 11.7 percent. Connecticut was third at 11.1 percent. Alaskans had the lightest tax burden at 6.4 percent, according to the D.C.-based nonprofit that monitors fiscal policy at the federal, state and local levels.
U.S. taxpayers as a whole paid 9.7 percent of their income in state and local taxes, down from 9.9 percent in 2007, primarily because income grew faster than tax collections between 2007 and 2008.
The estimates are for fiscal years ending June 30.
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